OSHA and sizzor lifts

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JJWalecka

Senior Member
Location
New England
Is it OSHA compliant to leave a sizzor lift work area while tied off via harnass?
A zizzor lift is a considered a scaffold? Not like an Ariel lift which requires a harness always.

Say I was on a sizzer lift and had to exit the lift onto six four inch pipes hung by double 1 5/8 strut and 1/2 rod. If I was clipped off could that pipe rack be considered a work surface?

Thanks for your time
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
Is it OSHA compliant to leave a sizzor lift work area while tied off via harnass?
A zizzor lift is a considered a scaffold? Not like an Ariel lift which requires a harness always.

Say I was on a sizzer lift and had to exit the lift onto six four inch pipes hung by double 1 5/8 strut and 1/2 rod. If I was clipped off could that pipe rack be considered a work surface?

Thanks for your time
IMO you can as long as you are not tied off to the scissor lift... but rather tied off to a qualifying anchor point above the pipe (work area).

And don't forget, site safety rules can supersede OSHA requirements. I would not be surprised in the least if site rules required harness and tie off while on the lift at an elevation above e.g. 4 or 6 feet... and also require 100% tie off, meaning a double lanyard and being tied off to the scissor lift while tying off to the anchor point above the pipe, then untying from the lift. I have witness guys escorted off premises for not complying.
 

jusme123

Senior Member
Location
NY
Occupation
JW
I bet OSHA does not allow it , your not even allowed to put your foot on toe kick or mid rail.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I bet OSHA does not allow it , your not even allowed to put your foot on toe kick or mid rail.

As as been mentioned, to OSHA a scissor lift is scaffolding and just like scaffolding you can climb around on it if you are tied off via a lanyard.

I also agree job site rules may overrule this.
 

JJWalecka

Senior Member
Location
New England
Is there a listed work platform that can be installed hanrail to handrail that would allow one to stand comfortable on a sizzor lift to reach higher. I have seen two 2x6 planks tied down to hand rails allowing a higher work platform but I'm curious if sizzor lift manufacturers make one.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
I bet OSHA does not allow it , your not even allowed to put your foot on toe kick or mid rail.
As long as one foot is on the lift platform, you can put your second foot anywhere you want. If you can't, it is because someone is trying to out think everyone else and has the authority to impose it. :happyyes:
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
Is there a listed work platform that can be installed hanrail to handrail that would allow one to stand comfortable on a sizzor lift to reach higher. I have seen two 2x6 planks tied down to hand rails allowing a higher work platform but I'm curious if sizzor lift manufacturers make one.
I've never seen one, and I doubt any lift manufacturer makes one. In most cases, the manufacturer's lift operation professional will tell you to a) lower or remove one or more handrail after tying off to raise the platform higher, provided you can do that safely at height [involve your company's safety professional], b) use a different lift that will put you where you need to be, or c) have the carpenters erect a regular stationary scaffold and provide anchor points as needed.
 

jusme123

Senior Member
Location
NY
Occupation
JW
As as been mentioned, to OSHA a scissor lift is scaffolding and just like scaffolding you can climb around on it if you are tied off via a lanyard.

I also agree job site rules may overrule this.

...we had to build a small steel staircase (3 steps), bolt it to lift, in order to use steps on a lift (and tie off). They said OSHA would not approve stepping on either the mid-rail or top rail , regardless if you where tied off or not because that is not there function.
 

jusme123

Senior Member
Location
NY
Occupation
JW
As long as one foot is on the lift platform, you can put your second foot anywhere you want. If you can't, it is because someone is trying to out think everyone else and has the authority to impose it. :happyyes:

...not according to OSHA :happyno::happyno:
 

jusme123

Senior Member
Location
NY
Occupation
JW
Question: Is it permissible to allow workers to stand on boom lift1 guardrails or scissor lift guardrails in order to perform work if they use a personal fall arrest system?

Answer


Aerial lifts

The answer is no for aerial lifts. Section 1926.453(b)(2)(iv) states that "employees shall always stand firmly on the floor of the basket, and shall not sit or climb on the edge of the basket or use planks, ladders, or other devices for a work position."

Scissor lifts

The requirements of 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart L (Scaffolds) applies to scissor lifts. There is no single provision in the scaffold standard that states that this practice is prohibited. However, as a practical matter, it is unlikely that all the requirements of the scaffold standard could be met while engaging in this practice.

Section 1926.451(a)(1) requires, in general, that each scaffold and scaffold component "be capable of supporting, without failure, its own weight and at least four times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it." Also, one of the requirements of §1926.451(a)(6) is that scaffolds be loaded in accordance with its design. Section 1926.451(f) prohibits a scaffold from being loaded in excess of the maximum intended loads or rated capacities.

To meet these requirements with employees standing on the guardrails, the scaffold would have to be designed so that the load imposed by employees climbing onto and standing on the guardrails (which include eccentric loads) would be within the capacity of the guardrail, all other scaffold components, and scaffold as a whole, with a safety factor of 4:1. Scaffold guardrails and associated components typically are not designed to handle such loads.

Secondly, if the employees were to stand on the guardrail, it would be considered a scaffold platform - the definition of a scaffold platform is "a work surface, elevated above lower levels...." The guardrail would then have to meet the requirements in §1926.451(b) (scaffold platform construction).

One of those requirements is §1926.451(b)(2), which states that, subject to some exceptions, scaffold platforms must be at least 18 inches wide. Under §1926.451(b)(2)(ii), narrower platforms are allowed only where the employer demonstrates that they cannot be at least 18 inches. Before an employer would be allowed to use a guardrail as a work platform, it would have to demonstrate that the width of the guardrail (the top rail's diameter) was the widest the platform could be. Since the guardrail would be on a scaffold, and the scaffold would be considerably wider than the top rail's diameter, the employer would not normally be able to make that showing.

Use of personal fall protection would not be a substitute for compliance with these scaffold requirements - these plus the fall protection requirements2 must be met. Note that §1926.502(d)(23) prohibits personal fall arrest systems to be attached to guardrails systems. Therefore, the system would have to be anchored to either the scissor lift or an adjacent structure.3

If you need any further clarification on this subject, please contact us by fax at: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Directorate of Construction, [Office of Construction Standards and Guidance], fax # 202-693-1689. You can also contact us by mail at the above office, Room N3468, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, although there will be a delay in our receiving correspondence by mail.

Sincerely,



Russell B. Swanson, Director
Directorate of Construction
 
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GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
In short, there is no clear provision that prohibits leaving the work platform of the lift to support yourself instead on another suitable surface.
But you cannot climb on the guardrails to get there. :)
 

big john

Senior Member
Location
Portland, ME
My understanding is that you cannot use the lift cage as a work platform because it is not designed for that.

I suppose by the letter of the law you can't climb on it at all, but realistically there's a bit of a difference between using it to foot yourself out versus using the cage to support a scaffold plank plus two workers.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
Question: Is it permissible to allow workers to stand on boom lift1 guardrails or scissor lift guardrails in order to perform work if they use a personal fall arrest system?

Answer...
Now take that into consideration with...
As long as one foot is on the lift platform, you can put your second foot anywhere you want. If you can't, it is because someone is trying to out think everyone else and has the authority to impose it. :happyyes:
Note the act I stated is not the same as standing or climbing the side guard components. I understand it is the first action toward doing so... but until both feet are on the rails, or rather one foot is not on the platform, you are neither standing nor climbing on the side guard components.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
...

Section 1926.451(a)(1) requires, in general, that each scaffold and scaffold component "be capable of supporting, without failure, its own weight and at least four times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it." Also, one of the requirements of §1926.451(a)(6) is that scaffolds be loaded in accordance with its design. Section 1926.451(f) prohibits a scaffold from being loaded in excess of the maximum intended loads or rated capacities.

To meet these requirements with employees standing on the guardrails, the scaffold would have to be designed so that the load imposed by employees climbing onto and standing on the guardrails (which include eccentric loads) would be within the capacity of the guardrail, all other scaffold components, and scaffold as a whole, with a safety factor of 4:1. Scaffold guardrails and associated components typically are not designed to handle such loads.

...
Here's the one I call safety personnel out on, because they typically do not know what load a guardrail is designed for. They only believe it to be substantially less than is required to support a worker.

Are guardrails and their associated components NOT also scaffold components?

Seems contradictory to me to say they are not a scaffold component.

Note I am not trying to make it appear as though standing or climbing on scaffold guardrail is a safe practice. I just like to pull the chain of safety people because many (not all) impose from the beliefs they are taught and rumors they hear, rather than actually evaluating the safety practices they implement.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
The modular scaffolding that I am familiar with does not have any guardrails that are not integral parts of the scaffold frame sections themselves. And those are definitely designed to be climbed.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
prove me wrong, mid rail and hand rails are not functionally designed for stepping points
Now say you step off the lift and onto framing members of the structure, or even a roof or deck, does the structure members need to be designated as stepping points or a work platform? Even if you still have fall arrest covered? If so how do we ever put these structures together?

Why do we need fall arrest equipment in a ground supported lift but not while in aircraft?
 

69gp

Senior Member
Location
MA
I ran across this recently and did inquire with the regional OSHA office. Access to the roof was via a large scissor lift to a height of 32'. There was a factory installed gate on the side of the lift that allowed you to step off onto the roof. I did not use the lift as I believed it was safety violation. After speaking with the OSHA personnel they did say that this was compliant as long as the side gate is factory installed. No harness requires to step off the side onto the roof.

the difference between the side gate and the end gate is that most outdoor lifts have hydraulics that allow you to angle into the building to close the gap. This feature is not available on the end gate entries.

If in doubt I would recommend that you call OSHA and come out to the site.
 
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